Three water districts upgrade water saving measures

LAKE COUNTY ? Drought and depleting ground water levels coupled with a fraction of customers using as much as 15 times the amount of water commonly used forced the department of Special Districts and the Lake County Board of Supervisors to approve ordinances that would impose sanctions on water customers who consume too much water.

The BOS approved the three separate ordinances to upgrade Drought Management Plan stages from one to three in the water districts of Paradise Valley, Star View and Bonanza Springs water. Those ordinances will be in effect until the BOS declares water shortage emergency conditions no longer exist.

The approved ordinances would implement hundreds of dollars in penalties to people who overuse water in those districts, but according to figures submitted to the BOS by the Department of Special Districts in a memorandum, the majority of water customers would see penalties much lower or no penalties at all.

The purpose of the ordinances, Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger said, is to target the few customers who use an extremely large amount of water and encourage them to use less.

Dellinger added that the majority of customers have showed signs of reducing water use.

"It doesn't benefit us getting more money, because getting more money does not give us more water," Dellinger said.

The Drought Management Plan, which was presented by Special Districts early this year, indicated that stage one of the plan asked for voluntary conservation of water by customers. Stage two initiated mandatory conservation measures prohibiting non-essential use, such as outdoor watering and filling of pools. Special Districts did not consider implementing stage two because it considered it would not encourage the desired change.

According to the memorandum, which was submitted by Dellinger and Compliance Coordinator Jan Coppinger, well levels for Bonanza Springs have dropped by 16 percent in the last year.

In that district, 26 out of 169 customers are using 50 percent of the water, the memorandum stated.

"The excessive use by 15 percent of the customers is jeopardizing the entire water system," the report stated.

The Bonanza Spring Water ordinance implements different penalties for usage of more than 900 cubic feet of water per month. Usage between 900 and 1,100 cubic feet of water would represent a $10.47 charge. The same amount would be charged for every 100 cubic feet after 1,100 cubic feet.

Usage of more than 1,100 cubic feet of water would also represent a $350 penalty.

According to figures provided in the report, the average consumption per water connection in Bonanza Springs during the last billing cycle was roughly 553 cubic feet of water. Those figures indicate the average consumer would not see a penalty.

The highest consumer of water for that billing cycle used roughly 8,899 cubic feet of water, more than 15 times the usage of the average customer. Those figures would represent penalties of more than $1,100.

According to the report, water level in the well that serves the Starview water system dropped 12 percent during the last year. The ordinance approved for Starview customers will see the same penalties as the customers in Bonanza Springs.

In Starview, consumption during the last billing cycle increased by 26 percent in comparison with the same billing cycle last year. Of 147 customers, 23 used 45 percent of all the water in that billing cycle.

Paradise Valley customers will see penalty charges in their bills when they consume 500 cubic feet of water or more. Usage between 500 and 750 cubic feet will represent a fee of $10.47. Customers who use more than 750 cubic feet of water will be charged $350 plus $10.47 for every 100 cubic feet more than 750 used.

Paradise Valley customers have a lower consumption limit because they are served by two separate water systems, Dellinger said, one that provides water for irrigation.

According to Dellinger, the average consumption in the last billing cycle for Paradise Valley was 125 gallons per day, which represents roughly 500 cubic feet per month.

Dellinger said that letters will be sent to all customers whose districts will see an upgrade from stage one to stage three in the Drought Management Plan.

He added that most customers who over consume water or who have not shown signs of reducing consumption have been notified of their usage and asked to lower consumption. Phone calls will be made to customers who do not change their consumption habits, and visits will be made if the overuse persists.

Isaac Brambila is an associate editor for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636 ext. 37 or at ibrambila@record-bee.com.